Jamie Lee Curtis, the original “scream queen,” has been cast in a new FOX horror/comedy series called Scream Queens.
The show, produced by Ryan Murphy, will also star Emma Roberts, who has already appeared in the Coven and Freak Show seasons of Murphy’s popular American Horror Story franchise.
Murphy, known for creating or co-creating various successful television series including Popular, Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story and The New Normal, will commence production of 15 episodes ordered by FOX, and the series will debut next fall.
Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan co-created the new show, and Murphy, Falchuk, Brennan, and Dante Di Loreto will serve as executive producers.
Commenting on Scream Queens, Murphy said in a statement, “We hope to create a whole new genre – comedy-horror – and the idea is for every season to revolve around two female leads. We’ve already begun a nationwide search for those women, as well as 10 other supporting roles.”
The first season of the new anthology is centered around a series of murders committed on a college campus.
So, Ryan Murphy and Co.called and asked me to join the lovely and talented Emma Roberts in Fox's SCREAM QUEENS! Sounds like scary good fun!
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@Curtisleejamie) December 9, 2014
Curtis, 56, got her start in John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween. The Golden Globe-winning actress went on to appear in four Halloween sequels, and starred in The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train and Roadgames, solidifying her “scream queen” status.
Curtis as Laurie Strode in Halloween:
Curtis, a New York Times bestselling author, is married to director Christopher Guest, and occasionally blogs for The Huffington Post.
In related news, Murphy has been reportedly developing a new anthology series called American Crime Story. The first season is said to be centered around the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
